Tube expander and flarer



Aug. 17 1926. 1,596,262

, J. WALKER TUBE EXPANDER AND FLARER File 4- d Dec. 265, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR I L/xmzs M1. (51 BY Mk Y ATTORNEYS J. WALKER ,TUBE EXPANDER AND FLARER Aug. 17, 1926.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR n/q/yzs WVL/(EK flaw 45% ATTORNEYS the accompanying drawings,

Patent ed Aug. 17, 1926.

, UNITED STATES JAMES WALKER, or nmzhnn'rn; NEW JERSEY.

morn EXPANDEE Ann mama.

Application filed December 2e, i925. lSerial m, 77,785.

This invention relates to improvements in tube expanding and vflaring tools, and has for one of its objects to provide a tool of simple and'practical construction which will effectively operate to expand a tube and flare the end thereof.

Another object is to provide novel means for retaining the flaring elements in operative position in the tool so that the same may be contacted by a mandrel utilized to rotate said tool while in a tube and be forced by such contact to engage and flare't-he end of said tube.

The above and other objects will. appear more clearly from the following detailed description,

which illustrate preferred embodiments of the inventive idea. 1

In the draWings- Figure 1' is a longitudinal section through one form of tool showing the same in operative position in a tube;

Figure'2 is a plan view of the tool shown in Figure 1 Figure 3 is an end elevation partly broken away and shown inlsection;

Figure 4: is a transverse section taken on the line 14 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a similar section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a longitudinal section through another form of tool;

Figure 7 is a-plan view thereof;

Figure 8 is an end elevation;

Figure 9 is a transverse section on the line 9-9 of Figure 6; and w Figure 10 is asimilar section on the line 1010 of Figure 6.

The form of the invention shown in Figures 1 to 5 is best adapted for lighter work such as the expansion of'small boiler tubes 11 and the like in the head 12. The body portion 13 of the tool is of substantially cylindrical formation and of a diameter less than that of the tube to be expanded, said body portion being provided with a longitudinal opening 14 therethrough for the reception of the usual tapered mandrel, indicated in dotted lines, whichis employed to rotate the tool when expanding a tube. Formed in the body portion 13 in any preferred manner are aplurality of recesses 15 which extend laterally through said body portion so as to communicate with the longitudinal opening 14. The side walls of said when taken in connection with recesses are arcuate in formation, as shown in Figure 5, and are designed to receive the expandingrollers 16. When the tapered mandrel is inserted into the opening 14 the same Wlll engage the rollers 16 and force .c

the same laterally outward into engagement with the inner surface of the tube-11 and thus expand'the same. The recesses 15 and consequently the rollers 16 are arranged diagonally with respect to the longitudinal axis of the body portion, a. feature well known in the art, and this arrangement assists in feeding the rollers into the tube and the mandrel into the opening 14.

The flaring means of the tool consists of a plurahtyof spherical members 17 mounted- 'in the outer ends of the'recesses 15, there bein g' one of. these members associated with each of the rollers 16 and being directly aligned therewith. The diameters. of the spherical members are slightly greater than that of the rollers 16 and in order to enable 7 each of said members 17 to properly engage the end of the tube 11 to flare the same the adjacent end of the associated roller 16 is recessed, as indicated at'18, to form a concavity capable of receiving a spherical member 17 so that, in effect, there is an overlapping relation between the two elements- The, spherical members 17 are portion of the I likewise capable of being contacted by the 1 produce the annular flare 19 on said tube.

It will be understood that as the mandrel is rotated a similar movementwill be imparted to the ro1lers.16 and sphericalmembers 17 thus reducing, to a large extent,'tho friction between the parts.

The outer end of the body ortion 15 is enlarged to provide an 'annu ar flange 20 and said flange is recessed adjacent each of the members 17 to'form an overlapping retaining flan e 21 which will limit the lateral outward movement of the member 17 produced by the action of the mandrel. In order to further retain the spherical members in-position against .endwisemovement there is. mounted in the recess formed by recesses are SO 'wardly in the recesses In the form of the invention shown in Figures 6 to 10 which is preferably used for heavier work, the body portion 24 is drilled from one end toprovide a plurality of lon-' gitudinal recesses 25 in which the diagonally arranged rollers 26 are disposed, the outer ends of said recesses beingthereafte-r closed by a cap 27, preferably welded to the end of the body portion. The'recesses 25 are formed at their outer edges With overhanging lips 28 to limit the outward movement of the rollers 26, but the inner edges of said willbe free to move inwardly into the longitudinal opening 29 which extends throughout the'body portion. ()wing to this for- 'mation of the recesses the tool, in practice, is rested upon the end cap 27 in a vertical positionv before withdrawing the mandrel same the desired flare.

The spherical members are free to move inwardly and outhmit the outward movement thereof the body portion 24: has mounted thereon a split collar 32, the sections of which are formed Wit-l1 grooves 33 for the reception of an annular flange 34 formed upon the body portion so as to prevent longitudinal movement of the collar on said body portion. The sectionsof said collar are retained in operative position by a ring member 35 which encircles the reduced end of the collar and which formed that the rollers 26 d arrangement,

permit the members 31 to properly enfl v gage the end of a tube in order to give the 30, but in order to b snaps into retaining position over a ring 36 also encircling said collar. The inner enlarged end of the collar 32 is formed with an annular retaining flange 37 which overlaps the spherical members 31 and through this overlapping relation limits the outward movement thereof when acted upon by the mandrel.

What is claimed is: 4

1. A tube expanding and flaring tool, including a body having an opening therethrough for thereception of a tapered manrel, rollers carried by said body and movable laterally, by contact of the tapered surface of said mandrel therewith, into engagement with a tube to be expended, and spherical flaring members car-.

ried in said body at one end thereof and each having a single point of contact with the tapered surface of said mandrel and movable laterally outward relative thereto, as the mandrel is fed longitudinally through the opening in said body, to engage and flare the end of said tube.

2. A tube expanding and flaring tool having an opening therethrough and also having recesses communicating with said opening expanding rollers mounted in certain of said recesses and capable of contact by a mandrel extending through said opening, spherical aring members mounted in the other recesses in said body and arranged alternately about the circumference of said body with respect to said rollers, said spherical memers overlapping adjacent ends of the rollers, a split collar carried by the body and having a retaining flange for limiting the outward movement of said spherical members when contacted by said mandrel, and a ring encircling said collar to retain the sections thereof together.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

J AJMES 

